Paris of the Eighties opens in city

Paris of the Eighties Café, 261 Main St., Worcester, next to the Worcester Palladium, officially held its grand opening the week of Jan. 22.

Chris Besaw and Gina Migliozzi of MassConcerts are the management team that oversees the café and the Palladium.

John Peters, owner of MassConcerts, recently purchased the Palladium building.

Besaw and Migliozzi work closely with Erika Dunn, general manager of the café, in their mission to serve locally sourced food and beverages.

They want the café to be an “experience,” where you get more than just great cup of coffee. Expect to learn more about the history of the city at the same time.

The name of the café dates back to when the official motto for Worcester was “Worcester: Paris of the Eighties,” said Dunn. The promotion at that time was aimed at bringing people downtown, breathing more life into the city, she said.

Worcester's history is something Dunn is passionate about. She reportedly was the first student at Worcester State University to graduate with a concentration in public history and is a member of the Worcester Historical Commission and a docent at Preservation Worcester.

Paris of the Eighties Café, which accommodates about 12, is a cozy place bringing together Victorian design and bits of local history. For example, a framed black and white photograph of the former B.F. Northridge store on Piedmont Street is prominent on the mantel of the electric fireplace. Dunn said furniture in the café as well as artworks were made or bought locally.

The ambitious Dunn likes to talk about Worcester's history, so don't hesitate to engage in conversation.

The café's menu isn't complicated.

There is coffee, cappuccinos, espresso drinks, soups, sandwiches and pastries.

Dunn personalized some of the menu items to pay homage to the city. Sandwiches such as Hamilton and Cheese, Nipmuc Nutella and Banana and Turtle Boy Tuna have a Worcester twist, she said. The “Paris” Pastrami sandwich already is a favorite with regulars, according to Dunn.

The café buys from local businesses, such as Red Barn Coffee Roasters in Upton, Wholly Cannoli in Worcester and The Queen's Cups, a cupcake shop in Millbury.

“We are just starting out, getting a feel for what customers want on the menu,” said Besaw. “The response so far has been positive.

“We are the coffee shop that downtown needed,” added Besaw. Previous businesses in the space sold pizza and hot dogs, which didn't appeal to the courthouse crowd, he said.

Migliozzi added, “The café complements other businesses on the street, and it's a great place for customers who just want takeout.”

The café is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. It features a late-night menu during Palladium shows. There will be outdoor café seating in season.

Local businesses interested in catering services can call the café at (508) 791-8080.

Dunn will host monthly Victorian teas at the café. The February event is sold out.

Coffee and more!

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A reminder that IHOP restaurants nationwide will offer a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Feb. 5.

For every short stack of buttermilk pancakes served on National Pancake Day, IHOP guests are invited to make a voluntary donation to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Donations made locally will benefit the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals' program at Children's Hospital in Boston.

IHOP served 4 million free pancakes on National Pancake Day 2012 and donations totaled more than $3 million to children's charities.

The Judges' Choice winners competed in the Iron Chef competition, which took place on the Mechanics Hall stage. The chefs had to prepare a dish in 30 minutes using ingredients from a mystery basket that included lamb, rutabaga and quinoa. Pantry items were available to the chefs.

Maykel won Worcester's Best Chef.

The judges loved the flavor of his dish, which featured seared lamb saddle medallion served with dried fruit, nut and assorted vegetable quinoa, roasted rutabaga and a rosemary and fruit reduction sauce.

Winners in the People's Choice awards: first place, Sonoma; second place, EVO Dining; third place, BT's Smokehouse. The restaurants were in the same order as the Judges Choice awards, which is a first in six years of Worcester's Best Chef competitions.

This year, chefs had a choice of whether to serve identical dishes to judges and the public. It's been the norm to serve the same dish.

I was on the judges' panel with Barry Sexton, chef/owner of The Opinionated Palate, who appeared on Food Network's “Dinner: Impossible”; Alina Eisenhauer, chef/owner of Sweet in Worcester, who has competed on Food Network's “Chopped” and “Cupcake Wars” and was a winner on “Sweet Genius”; executive chef Tim Quinn, Worcester's Best Chef 2011 Champion; executive chef/owner Chris Rovezzi of Rovezzi's Ristorante in Sturbridge, Worcester's Best chef 2012 Champion; Chris Liazos, chef and former owner of the Webster House Restaurant in Worcester; and Danny Morgan, executive chef at Pepper's Fine Catering in Northboro.

Judges arrived at 10 a.m. and headed out by 9 p.m. We judged 20 dishes by 3 p.m. We got our wind, schmoozed and then judged the Iron Chef.

Congrats to executive chef/owner Aleksander Gjonca of Nuovo Restaurant in Worcester, who was presented the “Perfect Palate” award from WXLO 104.5 FM.

The culinary students at Worcester Technical High School did an outstanding job in presenting dishes and reading descriptions to the judges. The students also made desserts for the public to enjoy.

Domenic D. Mercurio Jr., founder of Mercury Media & Entertainment and organizer of Worcester's Best Chef competition, said this year's event not only brought in new restaurants, but also a high level of expertise. “We were very happy with how the chefs and restaurants handled the challenges of competing,” he said. “Everyone did a great job.”

Mercurio said he plans to make a few changes to the event next year. “We want to be more accommodating to the public,” he said.

At one point in the evening, it took more than an hour for people to get into Mechanics Hall. “We won't let it happen next year,” said Mercurio. “We are addressing the issue.”

Chefs already have signed on for next year's competition, according to Mercurio, who said, “Everyone is excited about the event.”

Chefs love to schmooze!

So do the judges.

Tidbits:

Out of more than 5 million restaurant reviews submitted by OpenTable diners for more than 15,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Sonoma in Princeton was named one of the top 100 “Best Overall” restaurants in the nation for 2012. Sonoma also won the title in 2011.

Visit www.opentable.com for a complete list of restaurants.

Executive chef Bill Brady, who also is chef/instructor in the culinary arts program at Worcester Technical High School, owns Sonoma.

Congratulations to Brady, Dan O'Sullivan and the staff at Sonoma.

Executive chef/owner Jay Powell of Twisted Fork in Cherry Valley, a first-time participant in Worcester's Best Chef, was one busy guy before competition. The “Phantom Gourmet” crew was at his restaurant Jan. 25 to film.

The enthusiastic Powell said he had a “blast” at Worcester's Best Chef.

The adrenaline kicked in!

Chef Joseph Cancelmo, owner of the former Lago Ristorante and Squire White's restaurant, both in Worcester, competed at the event. He represented Goddard House in Worcester.

Zorba's Taverna Restaurant and Bar in Worcester not only served food at Worcester's Best Chef, but also “sparkling” sangria. Great drink! Phil Dimopoulos, who is in the family-business owned by his parents, Christos and Nusa Dimopoulos, worked the table with Zorba's chef, Ethan Cramer, and staff.

The Flying Rhino Café in Worcester is getting ready to add new menu items, according to owner Paul Barber. Can't wait for warm weather and outdoor dining.

Al Maykel's parents, Al and Maggy Maykel, founders and owners of Living Earth in Worcester, got to see their son get his medals and crystal trophy. They were up from Florida for the event.

EVO will host a Celebrity Chef Dinner Party Feb. 4 at the restaurant. Call (508) 459-4240 for reservations. Barry Sexton, a judge for Worcester's Best Chef, will work with Al Maykel III to prepare dishes that will be paired with wine.

This wine dinner also is a fundraiser for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance of Central Massachusetts.

Executive chef Bill Nemeroff of Ceres Bistro at the Beechwood Hotel in Worcester on his day off helped plate food at Worcester's Best Chef with Brian Treitman of BT's Smokehouse. The chefs and staff were extremely busy. Great dish!

Viva Bene Italian Ristorante in Worcester dropped out of the competition at Worcester's Best Chef, but the restaurant dished out food to the public.

Chef Stacy Murphy was new to the competition, representing Brew City Grill & Brew House in Worcester.

Congrats to all the chefs!

If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282. Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.

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